As used herein, a “pouch” mean a flexible receptacle in which portions of the flexible receptacle come together to close the receptacle and the portions of the flexible receptacle spread apart to allow objects to enter and leave the receptacle. Examples include tool pouches, which are commonly used by tradesmen to carry items such as tools, parts, and supplies while working. Tool pouches are often carried by handles or connected to a belt worn by tradesmen to provide access to items while working. A tool pouch should provide easy access to the stored items when access is required and should secure items stored in the pouch when the items are not needed. Preferably, when closed, the tool pouch will contain the objects therein regardless of the orientation of the pouch in space, that it, whether the pouch is right side up, upside down, or lying sideways.
A tool belt may support one or more tool pouches to organize and provide easy access to a variety of items. Each of the tool pouches can preferably be opened and closed independently from the other pouches. For strength and longer-lifetimes, pouches are typically fabricated from flexible, durable, puncture- and tear-resistant materials such as leather, canvas, or nylon. Pouches may be supported by a frame that is more rigid than the flexible material of which the pouch is composed. The frame may be composed of metal, plastic, or other materials
Various tool pouches are described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,390,348 to Godshaw, et al. for a “Tool Belt;” U.S. Pat. No. 6,126,003A to Brouard for a “Tool Bag;” U.S. Pat. No. D316,485 to Seber for a “Combined nail and tool bag;” U.S. Pat. No. D254,759 to Rodstein for a “Tool Pouch;” U.S. Pat. No D648532S1 to Sosnovsky for a “Closed Tool Bag;”, U.S. Pat. No. 5,067,643 to McKinney for a “Hip level pack frame;” and U.S. Pat. No. D48,2524 to Cabrera et al. for a “Tool Pouch.”
U.S. Pat. No. 9,427,067 for a “Tool Belt” and U.S. Pat. Pub. 2017/0095069 for a “Tool Pouch with Spring Hinged Closure,” both from the present applicant, describe a tool pouch having a closure mechanism that allow the tool pouch to be put into a stable open position or a stable closed position.